Euchre tourney this Saturday

        ALEXANDRIA — Bishop Brossart High School is hosting a card tournament this weekend in honor of a former school supporter.

        The second annual Jack McGarr Memorial Euchre Tournament will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at the school, at Jefferson and Grove streets.

        Mr. McGarr, who died last year, was an active parent and volunteer at the school for many years. The event was organized by the McGarr family of Cold Spring to raise money for a memorial scholarship fund in Mr. McGarr's name that provides tuition assistance grants to Brossart students.

        Participants must register by 6:30 p.m. Saturday. It costs $10 to enter, and $500 was donated to the school for prize money.

        For more information, call Jeff or Debbie Kuntz at (859) 635-3651.
       

Input sought on Campbell parks plan

        HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — The Campbell County Fiscal Court is soliciting input on the county parks and recreation master plan.

        Citizens will be able to suggest how to improve parks, recreation and leisure in Campbell County at a workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Campbell County High School, Lickert Road and U.S. 27 in Alexandria. Fiscal court consultant Brandstetter Carroll Inc. will facilitate the workshop.

        For citizens who cannot attend the workshop, suggestions can be made to the Campbell County Parks and Recreation Department, care of Dennis Reller, 145 Racetrack Road, Alexandria 41001. Suggestions can be made by fax to (859) 635-2059 or by email to dreller@campbellcountyky.org.
       

State facing big budget cuts

        FRANKFORT — Budget director James Ramsey said a slowing economy has hit the state General Fund, posing a potential revenue shortfall which could result in budget cuts of as much as $300 million in the coming 18 months.

        Additionally, a Supreme Court decision Thursday to not review an earlier tax ruling could put the state at risk of having to make refunds of up to $400 million.

        Gov. Paul Patton emphasized a shortfall is not a certainty, but he said he has asked cabinet secretaries to consider cuts of 2 percent to 4 percent, excluding state funding for all of education and some human services areas.

        The General Assembly will be returning to the Capitol on Feb. 6 to complete its short session, but Mr. Patton said lawmakers will probably not want to get into redrafting the budget and take the political heat of making spending cuts.

        “If we have to make some cuts, it's going to be painful,” Mr. Patton said.
       

Top court agrees dad not guilty in death

        FRANKFORT — A father's failure to properly strap his child into a safety seat before an automobile crash that killed the youngster is not enough to make him guilty of reckless homicide, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

        Corey Mitchell, his wife and three children were traveling to a friend's home in Warren County in 1995 when Mr. Mitchell collided with an oncoming pickup truck. The couple's twin daughters were in safety seats in the back of the car, but the seats were not fastened to the rear seat and neither child was strapped into their seat.

        Mr. Mitchell and one of the twins, Mackenzie, were thrown from the vehicle. Mackenzie later died from the injuries.

        Mr. Mitchell was convicted of reckless homicide and sentenced to one year in jail, which was probated for three years.

        The Court of Appeals, in a split decision, overturned the conviction and a unanimous Supreme Court agreed Mr. Mitchell should not have been punished.

        Kentucky law requires children under a certain age and size to be in safety restraint seats while in passenger vehicles. Violation is punishable by a $50 fine.
       

Few lawyers willing to work pro bono

        LEXINGTON — Only a fraction of Kentucky's lawyers reported devoting at least 50 hours last year to providing free legal work for the poor — the amount recommended by the Kentucky Bar Association.

        “There's a problem with attorneys not realizing the obligation of our profession to serve those in need,” said Warren Keller, a London lawyer and chairman of the Kentucky Bar Association's Donated Legal Services Committee. “We're not asking them to devote their entire lives to pro bono work. But we feel the goal of 50 hours a year ... isn't too much to ask.”

        Just 5 percent of the state's 13,500 attorneys reported at least 50 hours of donated legal work in 2000.
       

School to relocate dangerous crosswalk

        RICHMOND — Eastern Kentucky University has accepted state plans to relocate a crosswalk where four people were struck by cars last semester and possibly narrow the road it crosses from four to two lanes.

        The plans are the result of a Jan. 11 meeting of state, local and university officials to address the spate of accidents at the crosswalk.
       

City scraps plan for giant neon sign

        LOUISVILLE — The city has scrapped a plan to construct a 270-foot neon sign on the waterfront, but it will still pay most of the estimated $160,000 cost for work done to date.

        The city has indefinitely shelved plans to construct the sign following public opposition after it was announced late last year. The sign consisted of 7-foot letters illuminated in neon atop 35-foot poles that spelled out the city's name.
       

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